The Secret in His Eyes
by vivianmagic
Summary: While Grell struggles to keep her blooming relationship with William a secret, William had a very different take on it.


**_A/N: Had this story in my mind for literally like over a year, wanted to make a comic but gave up and did fic instead._**

Grell Sutcliff was usually an early riser, not because getting out of bed was any easier for her in particular, but she always felt compelled to leave abundant time for her long list of morning rituals before going to work. A lady should always look her best on the job, especially one she took pride in, and something as mundane as sleep should not get in her way.

 _Except maybe today._

It'd be hard for her to admit, but _certain_ activities in the previous evening did take a toll on her energy. With sore limbs and a blissful dream, staying in bed a little longer seemed to be the only option.

A gentle and warm press on her eyelids lit up a corner of her consciousness. She had barely opened her eyes before rolling to the other side of bed to avoid the morning light that slipped through the curtains.

Eyes closed again, she could hear the tap running in the bathroom and the usual bustling noise of the morning routines. Having the bed all to herself now meant that her bed-mate was ahead of her in his preparation for work and she knew _exactly_ how well that would go.

"Get up." William lightly pulled her foot as he walked by the bed to reach the dressing mirror.

Grell groaned and drew her foot back under the bed sheet.

"Or you'll be late, _again_."

Grell opened her eyes and grinned at how grumpy he sounded. It amazed her till this day that no matter how much William had slept, he was still as cranky as he would be if he had none at all. Maybe William was just not a morning person, but Grell would never complain about his messy bed hair and those weirdly seductive sleep-deprived eyes.

"Is work all you ever care about, Will?" she sat up, fingers lazily combing through her tangled red locks.

William turned around and stared at her, didn't seem to be interested in giving a comment.

Grell blushed under his stern stare - _damn those eyes_ \- and marveled at how well he looked in that vest of his before putting on the suit coat. She slipped off bed and stood next to him, hands mindlessly fiddling with her collection of cosmetics that occupied the dresser. "By the way," she asked, "when do you plan to tell everyone about _us_?"

"What do you mean 'us'?" William frowned as he wrapped a tie around his neck.

Grell wondered if he was being willfully ignorant, but the sight of William getting ready for work had put her in a mood too good to be spoilt by his insensitivity. "You know, our _relationship_." she hugged him from behind.

William just continued tying his tie, his tone unchanged by Grell's affectionate gestures, "I have no interest in initiating conversations concerning my personal life. It's meant to be kept out of the workplace."

Grell couldn't help but giggle with her face buried in his shoulder, "Such a cold man... So you want to keep it as our little secret then?"

" _Secret?_ " William turned around, holding Grell's wrists up so he can place them back on his hip when he was facing her, "Honestly, I never intended to keep it a secret. I simply don't talk about it."

Grell raised an eyebrow, a skeptical grin plastered on her face, "I don't believe you."

William sighed, "And I honestly don't care." He then squeezed her shoulders, "Now go tidy up yourself, get dressed, and I'll be waiting for you downsta-" his sentence was cut short when Grell pulled him into a quick kiss.

"Not until I have my morning fix, Darling." she smiled before releasing him, "One last question, did you kiss my eyelids when I was still sleeping?"

"I...have no idea what you're talking about." William quickly straightened his tie and went downstairs.

Grell swore she saw him blush.

* * *

Since William wasn't going to take the initiative, Grell decided to take matters into her own hands. For all she knew, it would be foolish to not bait some flattering blessings from their colleagues. She had been curious about their reaction for a while anyway, and bringing it up during tea break seemed like a neat idea.

And so Grell walked into the lounge where Ronald, Eric and Alan all happened to be hanging out.

"Guys, I have an announcement to make." as soon as she had their attention, she wasted no time for suspension, "William and I are dating."

The supposed bombshell was met with utter silence as Ronald carefully leaned forward, as if expecting a follow-up statement.

Grell blinked at their reaction, or lack thereof.

Eric suddenly chuckled, but didn't say a word.

Alan seemed to be the only one who found the situation uneasy. He looked at the other two, and then back at Grell, before beaming, "Really? For how long? Congratulations! I am so happy for you!" His acting was so lame, it was almost an insult to Grell's nonexistent acting career.

"Wait, you people knew all along?" she jumped up from her seat, almost knocking over her chair, "Why aren't you surprised?!"

Eric just shrugged.

"Why should we be surprised in the first place?" Ronald asked, "I totally thought you were up for something bigger."

Grell gasped in disbelief, "Wait, was it _that_ obvious?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Eric said.

"Well, if you're talking about the flirting, I've been doing it for the past 100 years, and-"

"As if you're the only person involved in the relationship." Eric cut her off.

Even more confused, Grell retorted, "But Will never talks about us!"

Eric rolled his eyes, "Again, as if talking is the only means of communication."

"What do you mean…" muttered Grell, still struggling to digest the fact that the cat had never even been in the bag at all.

"The way he looks at you, Grell, says it all." Eric answered between sips of coffee, "From the very beginning, there has been a sense of consistency in the way he looks at you. I wasn't sure what it was about, but I've always been pretty certain that he's dead serious about it." he went on, "Even when his eyes were literally shooting icicles, by the time they reach you their sharp tips have become blunt. _Still freezing_ , but won't exactly hurt you in any substantial way. That's how he looks at you, but of course he won't bother crafting it into flowery language. He doesn't have to, it was plain to see..."

"Eric, I think you need to stop now…" Ronald interrupted his senior to point at Grell, whose flustered face was red as the inside of a ripe mangosteen, "She's going to explode-"

The young reaper's words were again interrupted by the entrance of their supervisor, "Grell Sutcliff, where is your paperwork?"

"Eh?" violently snapped out of her fantasies, Grell froze at the sight of William at the door.

William scanned the room, then pointed at Ronald, "Also yours," then to Eric, "and yours, and..." he saw Alan and remembered that he turned in his paperwork two days before the deadline, "Never mind."

But to hell with paperwork for that was the least of Grell's concerns as she walked up to William and dragged him out of the room, "Will, we need to talk!"

The other three reapers watched in amusement as the pair disappeared down the hallway.

Alan smiled dreamily, "Aww, look at them."

"I know, I know," Eric yawned, " _totally_ sleeping together."

"That's not what I meant!" Alan frowned.

"Yes, it is."

"I said no such thing!"

"Yes, you did."

"Eric!"

Quietly stirring his coffee at the corner alone, Ronald muttered to himself bitterly, "Ahh, look at them, _look at all of them_."

* * *

William stopped Grell from going further when they reached the stairs, "Grell, what's with all the fu-"

Grell pulled him in for a long, deep kiss before he had a chance to continue.

William was at first a bit startled by her public display of affection, but seeing that the hallways were empty, he relaxed and returned the kiss.

After a few tender moments, Grell let go of him and whispered, "You're right, Will. We don't have to talk about it, it's never a secret anyway."

William blinked before commenting dryly, "What a plot twist…"

Grell giggled and wrapped her arms around him.

William still had no idea what she was up to, or why she changed her mind, but he opened his arms to hold her in a tight embrace, speaking next to her ear, "I thought you wanted to talk."

"As if talking is the only means of communication." the redhead relaxed into the embrace, her fingers lazily pressing invisible keys on his back.

William sighed, "Secret or not, you need to stop being so clingy." but he made no move to free her from his arms.

"Don't ruin the moment, you _block_."

If Grell bothered to look up at that moment, she would be mesmerized by the almost smile that was beginning to creep onto William's lips. But she was too busy listening to his heartbeat before William leaned in to kiss her forehead, "Honestly, you're such a nuisance."

She purred contently and replied, "I love you too."


End file.
